Latest NewsIs Currency Reform Backfiring on North Korean Regime?Could North Korea’s recent confiscatory currency “reform,” aimed at cracking down on burgeoning private markets and reviving socialism, be backfiring on the regime? In a Feb. 5 commentary for the BBC, EWC Senior Fellow Marcus Noland writes that it appears the government is now in retreat, acquiescing in the reopening of markets. “Reports - difficult, if not impossible, to confirm - have emerged of civil disobedience, protests, and even physical attacks on government officials trying to enforce the tightened restrictions,” Noland writes. “In the latest twist, the government appears to be ... easing restrictions on markets and, according to some reports, scapegoating Pak Nam-gi, the Korean Workers Party Director of Finance, for the failed policy.” Click here to read the full commentary. |
EWC 50 SpotlightEast-West Center’s ‘Priceless Legacy’ is Revealed in 50th Anniversary Commemorative VideoIn honor of the East-West Center’s 50th anniversary, the commemorative video, “A Priceless Legacy,” was featured at the recent dinner launching the year’s celebrations. In the video, the Center’s history unfolds through a series of interviews with key leaders and current East-West Center participants who share their reflections. FEATURED PUBLICATIONSby ZhongXiang Zhang with responses by Gary Clyde Hufbauer and Jisun Kim, Raekwon Chung, and Stephen Howes Islam and Nation: Separatist Rebellion in Aceh, Indonesia by Edward Aspinall Higher Education in Asia/Pacific: Quality and the Public Good by Terance W. Bigalke and Deane E. Neubauer (eds.) More publications... FEATURED SITESEast-West MediaLine Asia Matters for America EWCA Blog |
